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August 4, 2025

York County marine trades school adds new scholarship courtesy of sister boatbuilding firms

People work on a manufactured component. FILE PHOTO / COURTESY THE LANDING SCHOOL Sister boatbuilding firms Sabre Yachts and Back Cove Yachts teamed with the Landing School to provide scholarships up to $9,000 to students pursuing marine industry careers.
By Laurie Schreiber

Sister boatbuilding firms Sabre Yachts in Raymond and Back Cove Yachts in Rockland have teamed with the Landing School of Boatbuilding and Design in Arundel to provide scholarships of up to $9,000 to students pursuing careers in the marine industry.

Recipients will have the opportunity to interview with company leadership and gain hands-on experience in Sabre and Back Cove’s production shops, and might qualify for tuition reimbursement upon employment after graduation. 

The school also provides links to external scholarship programs.

The Landing School, founded in 1978, prepares students for careers in the marine industry. In 2023, it launched a first-of-its-kind program to teach boatyard management, with the goal of providing the marine industry with managers-in-training.

The Sabre and Back Cove Yachts Scholarship provides a new opportunity for students pursuing careers in the marine trades.

The scholarship was initiated by Aaron Crawford, president and CEO of Sabre and Back Cove and a Landing School trustee and alumnus, class of 1992, according to a news release

The program will support incoming or current students who demonstrate skill, motivation and commitment to working in the marine industry. As part of the application process, selected finalists will interview with Sabre and Back Cove leadership and spend instructional time in their production shops.

“This is about more than just financial support,” said Crawford. “It’s about continuing to invest in the next generation of marine professionals — people who will design, build and support the boats that define our future.”

The scholarship provides a direct bridge between education and industry, noted John Caron, president of the Landing School. 

“Sabre and Back Cove have long been leaders in Maine’s boatbuilding sector, and Aaron’s personal connection to the School makes this initiative especially meaningful,” Caron said. “It’s the kind of collaboration that creates real opportunity.”

Workforce has long been elusive in the industry, with boatbuilders the construction industry and manufacturers competing with each other for a limited pool of qualified workers and looking for people to bring into the trades.

Earlier this year, the Hinckley Co., a Southwest Harbor-based yacht builder with a Trenton production facility, established a satellite carpentry shop in Topsham to be closer to a denser population base in order to fill out its workforce.

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